The word destabilisation can be applied to a wide variety of contexts such as attempts to undermine political, military or economic power. In a psychological context it is used as a technique in brain washing

Mind control

Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...

 and abuse

Abuse

Abuse is the improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise...

 to disorientate and disarm the victim. For example, in the context of workplace bullying

Workplace bullying

Workplace bullying, like childhood bullying, is the tendency of individuals or groups to use persistent aggressive or unreasonable behaviour against a co-worker or subordinate. Workplace bullying can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, physical abuse and humiliation...

, destabilisation applied to the victim may involve:

• failure to acknowledge good work and value the victim's efforts
• allocation of meaningless tasks
• removal of areas of responsibility without consultation
• repeated reminders of blunders
• setting up to fail
  Setting up to fail
  Setting up to fail is a psychological manipulation performed on a target in which the target is given a task which is designed to fail as it has an unrealistic objective - "the setting of impossible objectives... set up to fail". The target will become stressed trying to achieve the impossible,...
  
  
• shifting of goal posts without telling the victim
• persistent attempts to demoralise the victim.

See also

Further reading

• von Beyme K Parliamentary Democracy: Democratization, Destabilization, Reconsolidation 1789-1999 (2000)
• Dzimba J South Africa's Destabilization of Zimbabwe, 1980-89 (1998)
• Johnson P Martin D Apartheid Terrorism: The Destabilization Report (Changing Southern Africa) (1990)
• Murillo M Avirama JR Colombia and the United States : War, Unrest, and Destabilization (2003)
• Sen M Challenge of destabilisation (1987)
• Siṅgha D Destabilisation and subversion: new challenges (1987)